Antigenic test applicator



May 19, 1970 M. N. cowAN ANTIGENIC TEST APPLICATOR Filed Nbv. 1, 1967-FIG-l INVENTOR MICHAEL N. COWAN ATTORNEY S United States Patent US. Cl.128-4 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Antigenic test applicator foreffecting slight fracture of the outer surface of the skin to facilitatelocal absorption of antigenic test material with a minimum of trauma andwithout drawing blood including a solid elongated body that does notcome to a point and hence does not penetrate, its outer applicator tipend being provided with slightly spaced blunt, chisel-like tips or tinesthat are not razor sharp but merely sharp-edged defining a slot forantigenic test material, the solid body of the applicator below the sloteliminating any capillary action and thus conserving expensive antigenictest material as well as facilitating cleansing and sterilization of theapplicator, the applicator being removably mountable on a support like ajewelers vise for use and readily removable therefrom after use forcleansing and sterilization.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to applicators forapplying antigenic test material to the skin of a patient and tofacilitate its absorption by effecting slight fracture only of the outersurface of the patients skin with a minimum of trauma and withoutdrawing blood and without penetration.

The application of antigenic test material to the skin of a patientparticularly when a plurality of successive allergy tests must be made,presents problems of minimizing pain and discomfort to the patient andprevention of scarring in successive test areas. Applicators heretoforeused have involved use of sharp pointed needles or cutting devicesdesigned to pierce, cut or penetrate the skin during application of theantigenic test material with resultant pain during application, materialtrauma and blood-letting and subsequent discomfort as well as possibleresidual scaring in the skin areas to which the test material wasapplied. In addition, the known devices have been wasteful of theexpensive antigenic test material and frequently have depositedconsiderably more of such material to the skin areas during applicationthan actually required for effective test purposes. Moreover, theseknown devices have been fairly difficult to cleanse and sterilize aftera use.

Objects and features of the present invention are the provision of anovel applicator for antigenic test materials that eliminates theforegoing disadvantages of known devices and is simple and inexpensiveto manufacture, use and cleanse and sterilize for re-use.

The applicator embodying the invention embodies the following noteworthyfeatures:

It is not designed to pierce, cut or penetrate the skin. It is designedmerely to effect a slight fracture of the outer surface of the skin in avery small localized area in order to facilitate deposition into saidarea for local absorption therein of antigenic test material with aminimum of trauma and without drawing blood.

This applicator differs from known needle type applicators in that itdoes not cut the skin surface in any way and its use provides only avery small area of superficial trauma in contrast to those provided bysaid known needle type applicators.

The applicator tip of the device of this invention does not come to apoint, but is rather provided there with a pair of blunt-chisel-likeparallel edges defining between them a slot of limited width and depthin which an effective dosage of antigenic material is retained fordeposit into a substantially circular fracture area in the outer skinsurface caused by the edges when the applicator is applied to thepatients skin without, however, penetrating the skin.

The parallel tip edges are not razor sharp but relatively blunt, beingonly of sufficient sharpness to facilitate their fracture function.

The main body of the applicator of the invention is solid and hencethere is no capillary action drawing excessive antigenic test materialinto a hollow barrel existing in conventional needle type applicators.This accomplishes two purposes: it conserves expensive antigenic testmaterial and it facilitates sterilization thereby preventing anypotential contaminating bacterial or especially viral which might occurthrough the patient contact.

The applicator of the invention is easily mounted in a holder, forexample, a jewelers pin vise for use and is readily removable therefromafter use for cleansing and sterilization prior to re-use.

The relatively simple construction of the applicator of this inventionmakes it inexpensive to manufacture and economical to use.

The avoidance of penetration and minimal trauma effected by each use ofthe applicator of this invention reduce dread in the patient and rendersthe latter more cooperative and more willing to undergo a series ofnecessary antigenic tests.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description, and the accompanying drawingsforming a part hereof wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an application embodying the inventionshown mounted for use in a holder;

FIG. 2 is a plan view seen from the top of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view.

Referring to the drawing, the antigenic test material applicator of thisinvention is donated generally by the reference character 10. Thisapplicator comprises an elongated, solid, cylindrical body 11 that may,for example, be approximately one and one-half inches long and about.041" in diameter. Preferably, this body 11 is made of stainless,surgical steel although other strong, sterilizable materials may be usedinstead.

The applicator end or tip of this body 11 is substantially perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of said body and is provided with adiametrically disposed and longitudinally extending substantiallyrectilinear slot 12 approximately .010" or less in width which extendslongitudinally from the outer applicator end of body 11 to a depth ofapproximately AM-W into said body, said slot 12 being centrallypositioned at said applicator tip so as to provide symmetrical legs ortines 13, 14. The outer end wall portions of the respective tines 13 and14 are bevelled inwardly at about 60 to provide relative chisel-likeblunt transversely extending parallel end edges 13 and 14' which, whilerelatively sharp are not razor sharp or pointed and hence do notpenetrate when applied to the skin of a patient, merely effecting aslight fracture only of the outer surface of such skin with a minimum oftrauma and without drawing blood, and permitting the deposit of a smallamount of antigenic test material held within the slot 12 into the smallarea of skin fracture whereby the deposited antigenic test material isreadily absorbed with a minimum of pain or discomfort to the patient.Moreover, since the portion of the body 11 below is slot 12 is solid,there is no capillary absorption of expensive antigenic material intosaid body when it is dipped into such material prior to application tothe skin of the patient. This makes use of the applicator of thisinvention very economical as no waste occurs. Moreover, since nocapillary absorption by the body occurs, the latter is easily cleansedand sterilized after each use.

The other end of said solid body 11 is readily mountable into a holder15, for example, of the jewclers vise type of conventional constructionwhen antigenic test material is to be applied to a patient, and readilyremovable therefrom after use for cleansing and sterilization. It may bemounted in a molded plastic holder.

In use, the applicator tip is dipped into the desired antigenic testmaterial, a limited quantity being retained in the slot 12. Then, theapplicator tip is applied to the desired skin location of the patient bythe operator so that its blunt edges 13 and 14' effect a more or lesscircular skin fracture limited substantially to the diameter of theapplicator tip and the antigenic test material in slot 12 is depositedin this limited fracture area for ready absorption. A minimum traumaoccurs and there is no skin penetration or drawing of blood.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described andshown, variations within the scope of the appended claims are possibleand are contemplated. There is no intention, therefore, of limitation tothe exact disclosure or abstract herein presented.

What is claimed is:

1. An antigenic test material applicator comprising a solid, elongatedbody having a substantially uniform diameter throughout its length andhaving an applicator end, said end having therein a diametrically andlongitudinally extending slot defined by tines unitary with said body,said tines having bevelled outer end surfaces forming a pair ofsymmetrical blunt, chisel-like parallel end edges, the lengths of whichare substantially equal to said uniform diameter and substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said body so that said edgesmay be applied to the skin of a patient to fracture its outer surfacesufiiciently without penetration and without drawing blood to permitdeposition into the fracture and absorption of antigenic test materialretained in said slot.

2. An antigenic test material applicator according to claim 1 whereinsaid body is cylindrical and approximately 1 /2 inches long and about.041" in diameter throughout its length, wherein said slot is about.010"

wide and approximately V deep and wherein the bevelled outer endsurfaces are at approximately at angle of 60 with the longitudinal axisof said body.

3. An antigenic test applicator according to claim 1 wherein said bodyis of stainless, surgical steel.

4. An antigenic test applicator, according to claim 1 including supportmeans for said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,004,193 9/1911 Plaisted 145-24X 1,122,916 12/1914 Hanschen 14524 X 1,749,043 3/1930 Neiser. 2,976,6343/1961 Ashley 4628 X 3,194,237 7/1965 Rubin .128,253

GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

